Excellencies,Colleagues,Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am delighted to be here today and would like to thank China for bringing us together for a dialogue on the importance of South-South cooperation to tackle climate change.
Climate change was not created in equal measure by all countries, but all countries are suffering its consequences. This Paris COP will hopefully, indeed it must, go down in history as a moment when the world came together to address a universal crisis. The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities is a cornerstone of our action. It is important that developed countries fulfill their pledge to provide $100 billion per year in climate finance by 2020.
At the same time, developing countries have much to offer to one another and to the world at large. South-South cooperation is a vital component of this worldwide effort. Many developing countries, especially small island developing States and Least Developed Countries, are suffering severely under the adverse impact of climate change. These countries are working every day to build resilience and to strengthen their capacity for adaptation. Developing countries around the world are innovating. They are collecting data. They are making well-informed decisions to keep their populations as safe as possible.
Resources available to developing countries are limited. We must find ways to amplify their efforts and to find synergies with other developing countries experiencing the same threats and challenges. While there is certainly no one-size-fits all solution to this crisis, there are many lessons that can be shared and capitalized on –from one SIDS region to another, from one land-locked country to another, from one post-conflict state to another, from LDC straining under the pressure of extreme poverty to another. And of course, developing countries that have attained success can share that success and help brother and sister nations to reach the same levels of development.
In particular, I would like to draw your attention to a number of areas where South-South cooperation is crucial:
First, sharing knowledge and experience on designing and implementing policy frameworks. Enhanced sharing among developing countries can increase their policy choices.
Second, technology transfer including in transitioning to sustainable energy. Developing countries provide a large number of options for sustainable energy. Their experiences should be shared. In this respect, I see the importance of the establishment of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism as the outcome of the 2030 Agenda and Addis Ababa Action Agenda.
Third, technical and institutional capacity building. Southern partners often offer more relevant expertise to implement the capacity development strategies.
Fourth, access to and analysis of data. The developing countries that are more advanced in this area can help their developing partners to gain these capabilities. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the Chinese government for your donation of the 30 meter Global Land Cover Datasets (GlobeLand30) to the United Nations. The free data could help member states to better understand, monitor and manage changes in global land cover and land use in the context of climate change.
Ladies and gentlemen,
This past September, world leaders gathered to adopt the transformative 2030 Agenda, with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which taken together can put our planet on the path to the future we all want. Though those negotiations were at times contentious, a constructive spirit pervaded them; a knowledge that only by joining together could we achieve the ambitious objectives we had set for ourselves. That spirit must survive. It must surround this Paris meeting. South-South Cooperation embodies this spirit.
The UN in general, and my Department of Economic and Social Affairs, stand ready to cooperate to build a wider and broader global partnership with the Global South. We will work to help you promote South-South cooperation in every way we can.
I wish to thank you for your kind attention and am looking forward to a fruitful discussion.
I am delighted to be here today and would like to thank China for bringing us together for a dialogue on the importance of South-South cooperation to tackle climate change.
Climate change was not created in equal measure by all countries, but all countries are suffering its consequences. This Paris COP will hopefully, indeed it must, go down in history as a moment when the world came together to address a universal crisis. The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities is a cornerstone of our action. It is important that developed countries fulfill their pledge to provide $100 billion per year in climate finance by 2020.
At the same time, developing countries have much to offer to one another and to the world at large. South-South cooperation is a vital component of this worldwide effort. Many developing countries, especially small island developing States and Least Developed Countries, are suffering severely under the adverse impact of climate change. These countries are working every day to build resilience and to strengthen their capacity for adaptation. Developing countries around the world are innovating. They are collecting data. They are making well-informed decisions to keep their populations as safe as possible.
Resources available to developing countries are limited. We must find ways to amplify their efforts and to find synergies with other developing countries experiencing the same threats and challenges. While there is certainly no one-size-fits all solution to this crisis, there are many lessons that can be shared and capitalized on –from one SIDS region to another, from one land-locked country to another, from one post-conflict state to another, from LDC straining under the pressure of extreme poverty to another. And of course, developing countries that have attained success can share that success and help brother and sister nations to reach the same levels of development.
In particular, I would like to draw your attention to a number of areas where South-South cooperation is crucial:
First, sharing knowledge and experience on designing and implementing policy frameworks. Enhanced sharing among developing countries can increase their policy choices.
Second, technology transfer including in transitioning to sustainable energy. Developing countries provide a large number of options for sustainable energy. Their experiences should be shared. In this respect, I see the importance of the establishment of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism as the outcome of the 2030 Agenda and Addis Ababa Action Agenda.
Third, technical and institutional capacity building. Southern partners often offer more relevant expertise to implement the capacity development strategies.
Fourth, access to and analysis of data. The developing countries that are more advanced in this area can help their developing partners to gain these capabilities. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the Chinese government for your donation of the 30 meter Global Land Cover Datasets (GlobeLand30) to the United Nations. The free data could help member states to better understand, monitor and manage changes in global land cover and land use in the context of climate change.
Ladies and gentlemen,
This past September, world leaders gathered to adopt the transformative 2030 Agenda, with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which taken together can put our planet on the path to the future we all want. Though those negotiations were at times contentious, a constructive spirit pervaded them; a knowledge that only by joining together could we achieve the ambitious objectives we had set for ourselves. That spirit must survive. It must surround this Paris meeting. South-South Cooperation embodies this spirit.
The UN in general, and my Department of Economic and Social Affairs, stand ready to cooperate to build a wider and broader global partnership with the Global South. We will work to help you promote South-South cooperation in every way we can.
I wish to thank you for your kind attention and am looking forward to a fruitful discussion.
File date:
Sunday, December 6, 2015